Thomas Eger1, Felix Wörner1, Ursula Simon2, Sandra Konrad3, Anne Wolowski4. 1. Department of XXIII Dentistry-Periodontology, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Ruebenacherstrasse 170, 56072 Koblenz, Germany. 2. Department of VI Center for Mental Health and Psychiatry, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Ruebenacherstrasse 170, 56072 Koblenz, Germany. 3. Department of Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Bundeswehr Hamburg, Gebäude H4, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043 Hamburg, Germany. 4. Department of Prosthodontics and Biomaterials, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany.
Abstract
(1) Background: Dental anxiety with disease value usually leads to avoidance of dental treatment. For the initial diagnosis of the level of anxiety, questionnaires such as the Hierarchical Anxiety Questionnaire (HAQ) are suitable. The construct of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) describes a general trait in which people with a higher degree of SPS perceive information more strongly and process it more thoroughly. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship between dental anxiety and higher levels of SPS in 116 soldiers referred with different stages of periodontitis for mandatory dental fitness before military deployment. (3) Results: The proportion of patients with periodontitis in stage III + IV was 39% and in stage I + II was 27%. The mean cumulative values of the questionnaires were 20.9 ± 10.6 for HAQ and 27.7 ± 16.0 for SPS. Eleven moderately anxious patients had a SPS value of 37.4 ± 13.5 and 10 highly anxious patients had a value of 36.3 ± 14.1. Patients diagnosed with stage III + IV periodontitis showed significantly higher values on the SPS subscale Low Sensory Threshold (LST), which describes overstimulation by external sensory stimuli, compared to patients with stage I + II periodontitis. Dental anxiety showed moderately significant correlations with the SPS subscale Ease of Excitation (EOE), which measures emotional reactivity to physiological stimuli. (4) Conclusions: Due to the frequency of dental anxiety and higher sensitivity in patients with severe periodontitis, it is useful to record said frequency.
(1) Background: Dental anxiety with disease value usually leads to avoidance of dental treatment. For the initial diagnosis of the level of anxiety, questionnaires such as the Hierarchical Anxiety Questionnaire (HAQ) are suitable. The construct of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) describes a general trait in which people with a higher degree of SPS perceive information more strongly and process it more thoroughly. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship between dental anxiety and higher levels of SPS in 116 soldiers referred with different stages of periodontitis for mandatory dental fitness before military deployment. (3) Results: The proportion of patients with periodontitis in stage III + IV was 39% and in stage I + II was 27%. The mean cumulative values of the questionnaires were 20.9 ± 10.6 for HAQ and 27.7 ± 16.0 for SPS. Eleven moderately anxiouspatients had a SPS value of 37.4 ± 13.5 and 10 highly anxiouspatients had a value of 36.3 ± 14.1. Patients diagnosed with stage III + IV periodontitis showed significantly higher values on the SPS subscale Low Sensory Threshold (LST), which describes overstimulation by external sensory stimuli, compared to patients with stage I + II periodontitis. Dental anxiety showed moderately significant correlations with the SPS subscale Ease of Excitation (EOE), which measures emotional reactivity to physiological stimuli. (4) Conclusions: Due to the frequency of dental anxiety and higher sensitivity in patients with severe periodontitis, it is useful to record said frequency.
Entities:
Keywords:
dental anxiety; military dental fitness; periodontitis; sensory processing sensitivity
Authors: Poppy E Horne; Lyndie A Foster Page; Jonathan W Leichter; Ellie T Knight; W Murray Thomson Journal: J Clin Periodontol Date: 2020-06-22 Impact factor: 8.728
Authors: Panos N Papapanou; Mariano Sanz; Nurcan Buduneli; Thomas Dietrich; Magda Feres; Daniel H Fine; Thomas F Flemmig; Raul Garcia; William V Giannobile; Filippo Graziani; Henry Greenwell; David Herrera; Richard T Kao; Moritz Kebschull; Denis F Kinane; Keith L Kirkwood; Thomas Kocher; Kenneth S Kornman; Purnima S Kumar; Bruno G Loos; Eli Machtei; Huanxin Meng; Andrea Mombelli; Ian Needleman; Steven Offenbacher; Gregory J Seymour; Ricardo Teles; Maurizio S Tonetti Journal: J Clin Periodontol Date: 2018-06 Impact factor: 8.728